https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAgPZLj_sXc They say most great albums are born out of heartbreak (see Kanye's "808 & Heartbreak" or Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks"), and retro-rock band Shannon and the Clams' newest record, Gone by the Dawn, is not immune to this musical truism. While the reigning Oakland doo-woppers have quite perfectly carved a weirdo oldies niche into the garage rock world with their last three albums - a series of lo-fi gems, mostly recorded in their bedrooms, that ramble with 50s aesthetic - the NorCal trio's newest record not only reflects a more polished sound, as they step out of the bedroom and into the studio, but also cuts deep lyrically and stylistically.
Lyrically spawned from the end of two separate but tumultuous romances that both lead singer and bassist Shannon Shaw, and guitarist Cody Blanchard found themselves in, Gone by the Dawn stands as a record that is equal parts fierce and vulnerable. Shaw's unmistakeable growl continues to charge through each track, unleashing an onslaught of emotionally-fueled numbers including the wary tone of "Corvette," and the sultry sadness of "How Long."
However, the band's characteristic ability to make light of doomed love with their campy, and sometimes wacky tracks, allows for Gone by the Dawn easily digestible and down-right commanding.
Peep the surreal video for "Corvette," from Shannon and the Clams' Gone by the Dawn, now out on the ever-cool Hardly Art records.